Explain in one sentence what it is you do.

We are advisers and asset managers to high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans and not-for-profit organizations.

What time do you typically get up? What do you do the first hour of the morning?

I get up at 5 a.m., eat a small simple breakfast and exercise for an hour.

What is your best high school memory?

John Jenkins speech class, where I learned I could be an effective public speaker in spite of my initial fears.

Tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.

The old reliable Johnston & Murphy tassel loafers. Good looking and they last forever.

Where on Earth are you dying to go? Why?

Tuscany, because of the weather, the food, the wine, the colors and the landscapes. I have been in Rome and Florence, but Tuscany has a certain non urban allure.

Have you discovered as you matured that you are becoming like one of your parents? Which one and how?

My mother. She was a kind, thoughtful and self-effacing person who was always deferential to others, so there was a great deal to learn from her for a more hard-driving personality such as mine. I would like to think that age has made me a more blended and evolved person.

Who do you have on your iPod?

Josh Groban, Charlotte Church, Pavarotti.

What are you reading right now?

"Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell.

If you could host a dinner party with anyone in the world, living or dead, what five people would you pick?

Thomas Jefferson, Lou Gehrig, Paul Volcker, Thomas Friedman and George Will.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Know who you are and live your values.

What's your best piece of advice?

Focus on what you are really excellent at – not just good at, but excellent.

What was your first job and how much did you make an hour?

$2 for cutting lawns in the neighborhood at the age of 12.

What was a pivotal decision in your career and how did you arrive at that decision?

Deciding to stay in Danville for the balance of my career. It was a decision made over time by talking it through with my wife.

Do you have a bad habit? What?

Sometimes a lack of patience.

Tell me about your favorite pet(s).

Stormy – a stray black male cat who has become the coolest pet.

What's a perfect Sunday afternoon include?

A leisurely golf game in the summer or a good book in the winter.

How do you handle a stressful situation?

Absolute focus.